


Three words for the first time

by sunokasai



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 11:37:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11356728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunokasai/pseuds/sunokasai
Summary: They're biggest "flaw" was to overthink at times where all they actually had to do was speak. So in their case, if the mind is blank the most honest words can be uttered.





	Three words for the first time

**Author's Note:**

> [smiles] I invite you to fall into rarepair hell with me. Are you ready?

The stairs up to the shrine on Benten Island are familiar to You. And even though she is used to climbing them a lot faster and during a different time of the day - they are an inherent part of her morning workout after all - her slow pace is not unwelcome So, now with, the afternoon sun on her back and an unhurried pace up each stair-step, it feels as if she was walking in slow-motion.

Despite this it seems as if You is still walking too fast, at least for the girl behind her.

“W-Wait… z-zura.” About ten meters behind her is Hanamaru, hunched forward and hands resting on her knees while she tries to catch her breath. “M-Maru is not as fast as You-chan, zura.”

“Sorry, Maru-chan.” You laughs a little awkwardly as she looks back at her girlfriend and then up the remaining distance to the shrine. They still have half the way ahead of them.

You had already taken the backpack so that Hanamaru wouldn’t have to carry it, seeing that she has her problems climbing up these stairs. And since they still have to manage  the rest of the distance to get to the top, You decides to jog back down in front of Hanamaru again. She takes off the bag and holds it out for Hanamaru who looks kind of confused.

“What’s Maru supposed to do with the backpack, zura?” Her curious gaze turns into a terrified one just moments after she gets an idea what You might be up to. “Don’t tell me You-chan is going to make Maru carry the bag all the remaining way up.”

“Don’t be silly, of course not.” You places a quick kiss on Hanamaru’s forehead to reassure her. “Trust me, okay?”

Eyeing her girlfriend a little skeptically, Hanamaru takes the bag and shoulders it.

“What now, zura?”

With a smile, You turns around and kneels down in front of Hanamaru, arms outstretched behind her.

“Jump on.”

“Is You-chan sure, zura? Maru is a little heavy.” She takes a small step forward, not wanting to burden You by carrying her. But You just giggles.

“Have a little faith in me.” You giggles a little, smiling brightly. She locks eyes with Hanamaru. “I was part of the swim team during my middle and high school days and now I am part of the volleyball team. I may not be as strong as Kanan-chan but my upper body is still very well built.” She winks.

Hanamaru’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink, trying to visualize that. She quickly shakes her head. They have been dating for a couple of months but now was not the time to imagine something like this. So instead Hanamaru just nods, slowly and carefully climbing onto You’s back. Her arms wrap around the stronger girls shoulders while her head slightly rests against You’s.

“Hold on tight.” You whispers before linking her arms under Hanamaru’s legs.

“Zura!” Shrieking in surprise when You gets up in one swift move, Hanamaru’s grip around her shoulders tighten and she leans fully into You’s back.

“You okay?” Head turning slightly, You manages to leave a kiss on Hanamaru’s cheek.

“Yeah, zura.” Hanamaru whispers, burying her face in You’s hair to hide her red cheeks. Embarrassment has joined the mental image form earlier, making her blush even more. “Maru was just a little surprised.”

You nods, tightening her hold on Hanamaru before she starts climbing the stairs at a casual speed. She’s sure she could go a little faster, maybe even jog, but she wants Hanamaru to feel safe. Besides, feeling Hanamaru’s weight on her back and her arms around her shoulders is kind of nice, You thinks. Not to mention all the small kisses she feels being placed on the back of her head.

It doesn’t take them too long to reach the top. Walking past the shrine, You leaves the main path. Hanamaru reaches out from her spot on You’s back to pull some branches aside, making it easier for them to reach a secluded area just behind the shrine. Their place.

You walks over to a step, placing Hanamaru down again before she takes a couple deep breaths. Those don’t go unnoticed and Hanamaru goes in front of her, cupping both of You’s cheeks to pull her down for a quick and innocent kiss.

“Thank you, zura.” She beams, retreating a little to set up the contents of the backpack.

She takes out a blanket and puts it aside, followed by a bigger box and some water. You watches her, smiling. She was surprised when Hanamaru had called her earlier, suggesting a picnic at their place. But right now she just looks forwards to spending some time with her girlfriend.

“I can’t believe you used your whole morning to make these.” She comments as Hanamaru lifts the lid of the box to reveal several sandwiches. “If you would have said something earlier I would have made something, too.”

“You-chan always cooks for Maru, so Maru wanted to treat You-chan at least once, zura.” Hanamaru sits down, beaming up at You.

You can only smile and shake her head, walking over her to sit down beside her girlfriend, wrapping both arms around Hanamaru’s waist to pull her closer. Resting her head on Hanamaru’s shoulder, she nuzzles into her neck.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank Maru yet. They still could taste terrible, zura.” The sentence is murmured quietly. Hanamaru feels You squeezing her middle once to reassure her before the other girl reaches out to take a sandwich.

“I am sure they are fine.” You disentangles herself a little from Hanamaru, making sure that one arm stays loosely wrapped around her. She takes a bite, Hanamaru waiting a anxiously for her judgment. After all, You is the better cook out of them.

“They are awesome!” You finally says, covering her mouth with her free hand. Her eyes shine and she quickly takes a second bite.

“Really, zura?” Happy that You likes her cooking, Hanamaru takes a sandwich herself. “They are, zura!” She is quite surprised herself when she tries her creation.

Finishing her piece, You crawls back behind Hanamaru so that the smaller girl sits between her legs. She takes the blanket and wraps it around them before one of her arms returns to its place at Hanamaru’s waist. With her mouth still full, You points at the box, silently asking Hanamaru for another sandwich.

They just sit there like that, enjoying each other’s presence. Eventually, Hanamaru takes out a book and snuggles further back into You who rests her head on Hanamaru’s shoulder. It’s warm, silent, comfortable… and You feels her eyelids growing heavy.

“Zura!”

Hanamaru’s excited voice startles You out of her dazed state and she just feels Hanamaru wrapping herself out of their embrace, out of the blanket, her book laying on the side.

“Maru-chan?” You sits up, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight shining directly onto them.

The only thing breaking through the rays of the setting sun is Hanamaru, her body framed by the orange, yellow colors… gold.

“You-chan! Look!” Hanamaru turns around in this light, arms crossed behind her back, skirt flying around her legs and the most endearing smile that You has ever seen on her face.

She is looking. She’s just not looking at what Hanamaru wants her to look because something even more beautiful than the sunset caught her eye. She absentmindedly notices Hanamaru getting a hold of her hands, dragging her up and on her feet. With their hands still connected, Maru turns around again to watch the sunset.

“What does You-chan think, zura?”

“Beautiful.” But You is not talking about the scenery in front of them. Her eyes are glued to the person standing right there, holding her hands.

“It really is, ri-“

“I love you.” The moment those words leave You’s mouth her eyes widen and Hanamaru spins around to look at her, equally surprised.

Hands flying up to cover her mouth, You looks down at Hanamaru. Sure, they had been dating for a couple of months already. They were holding hands, cuddled, kissed… stayed over at the others home even. But none of them had dared to say these three words yet.

Slowly withdrawing her hands, You starts to stutter.

“I-I…. If that’s to early…. If it makes you uncomfortable or… I don’t…. I didn’t mean to….” She stops her rambling when Hanamaru falls against her, hands clutching the front of her shirt.

“So… is You-chan saying she doesn’t love Maru, zura?” Hanamaru asks, voice muffled.

“Ah, no, that’s not it…” You looks down but she can’t see Hanamaru’s face. It’s hidden by the fabric of her clothing. It’s silent for a couple of minutes.

“Maru was scared, zura.” Hanamaru admits after a while. She takes a deep breath before she continues, leaning back a little and finally looking up and gazing into You’s blue eyes. “Maru didn’t know if it was appropriate to say it, so she didn’t. But at the same time You-chan didn’t say it either, so she got scared that maybe… that maybe You-chan doesn’t feel that way anymore, zura?” A big smile appears on her face. “Maru’s glad… that that’s not the case, zura!”

“Maru…” Caught off guard, You watches Hanamaru with a surprised expression. She would have never thought that this had caused Hanamaru to worry. “I… actually thought about saying it. A lot of times actually.” She rubs the back of her neck, laughing. “I just didn’t want to push this onto you, in case you weren’t ready yet. I should stop overthinking things.”

“We both should, zura.” Hanamaru giggles. Her hands reach up to cup You’s cheek. She pulls her down, seeing that she is way shorter than You, and kisses her. All her worries melt away as she feels You relax into the kiss and arms wrapping around her waist. When Hanamaru breaks the kiss, she stays close. “Maru loves you too.”

“Circle your arms around my neck and hold on tight.” You whispers, eyes closed.

Hanamaru does as told but she is still a little surprised when You lifts her up a little so that they are eye to eye. It’s not their first time staying like this, so Hanamaru automatically circles her legs around You for additional support while You’s arms travel under her legs. Their foreheads touch, both close their eyes and neither says a word. They don’t need to.

“I love you.” You repeats, nuzzling Maru’s nose with the brightest of smiles. She feels better now, like a weight has been lifted off of her chest.

Maru giggles, her nose tickling. She like this. It’s the next step, the new chapter… and she can’t wait to see what it has in store for them.


End file.
